Jaina Proudmoore is the default hero for mages. Players who have unlocked the Khadgar or Medivh alternate heroes may choose to play as one of them instead when using any mage deck. All heroes use the same gameplay mechanics; the difference is purely cosmetic.

With their unrivaled array of damaging spells, mages need as much Spell Damage as they can get, and can call on powerfulmagicalallies to strengthen their spell-casting. However, even without their assistance, mages wield the most powerful damaging spells in the game. With devastating board-wipes like Flamestrike, game-ending nukes like Pyroblast, and a Hero Power that allows them to blast any target at any time, only a fool would take the wrath of a mage lightly.

Students gifted with a keen intellect and unwavering discipline may walk the path of the mage. The arcane magic available to magi is both great and dangerous, and thus is revealed only to the most devoted practitioners. To avoid interference with their spellcasting, magi wear only cloth armor, but arcane shields and enchantments give them additional protection. To keep enemies at bay, magi can summon bursts of fire to incinerate distant targets and cause entire areas to erupt, setting groups of foes ablaze. Masters of ice can command blizzards that tear into flesh and limit movement. Should enemies manage to survive this assault, the mage can shrink them into harmless sheep in the blink of an eye.

Powerful magi can even generate enhancements and portals, assisting allies by sharpening their minds and transporting them instantly across the world.[1]

Mages use a large array of spells that cripple the opponents minions and damage their hero. Decks that contain minions that boost Spell Damage like Kobold Geomancer or Azure Drake will be able to strengthen the mage's numerous direct damage spells and even make weak spells into formidable nukes. Minions that benefit from playing spells like Mana Addict, Violet Teacher, or Gadgetzan Auctioneer often also fit well into mage decks.

For slower decks, mages can turtle exceptionally well, with cards like Ice Barrier and Ice Block which augment the hero's ability to survive, while their early game crowd control effects like Frost Nova and Cone of Cold prevent retaliation until the mage can play powerful cards like Pyroblast.

Tempo Mage is perhaps the most common mage deck type, with a number of variants. Mages can arm themselves with low-cost spells with Mana Wyrm, Flamewaker, and Vex Crow to snowball early and finish off with direct damage while never running out of steam with Aluneth. Secret Mage relies on Secrets not only to generate useful effects but also to baffle and confuse the opponent, forcing them to delay strong plays while they dismantle the mage's unpredictable web of spells. Aggro or burn mage goes for direct damage as as often as possible instead, using aggressive but short-lived minions to push for damage early on and pelt the opponents with Fireballs and one big Pyroblast to finish them off. In Wild format, Mech Mage makes heavy use of cards from Goblins vs Gnomes for strong Mech synergy, and also spell synergy with the generated Spare Parts cards, making this a semi spell-oriented deck.

Mage is also known for featuring one of the slowest decks in the game - the Freeze Mage. This deck uses heavy control elements including the mage's unique Freeze effects, AoE removal like Flamestrike, and the impenetrable Ice Block to slow and delay the opponent's assault, followed by a flurry of direct damage spells like Fireball, Frostbolt and Ice Lance to destroy the opponent, often in a single turn.

Mages are also attuned with Elementals. Elemental Mages have rudimentary Elemental synergy effects that generate value, but in the late game Frost Lich Jaina turns them all into sources of healing, ensuring they never run out of health as long as they have an army of elementals under their command and turning weakened minions into more elementals with their Icy Touch.

While strategy against mages depends heavily on deck type, this section describes some general pointers to bear in mind when learning to play against the class.

Mages have strong battlefield control, with single target spells like Polymorph and Fireball, and numerous Freeze effects such as Frost Nova, along with board wide removal from Flamestrike and Blizzard. These cards excel later in the game when stronger minions are played and when mana is available. It is possible to bait removal by placing threatening minions to force the mage to use them before then playing your strongest cards. Be aware of minion vulnerability when approaching turn 7, as any sizeable force of minions (especially at 4 Health or less) will offer a good reason for the mage to play Flamestrike if they have it.

A mage has a large array of powerful Secrets, but you can minimize their impact. If the mage has a Secret always try to safely determine which one it is:

Play a weak minion before a strong minion in case it is Mirror Entity.

Play weak or cheap spells before using strong and costly spells in case of Counterspell.

Attack the hero directly with a weak minion before a strong minion in case it's Vaporize.

Spellbender will replace the target of a single-target spell with a 1/3 minion. So you can use a weak spell before an important spell to negate it.

Ice Barrier is a powerful secret that will give the mage 8 Armor when your minion or hero attacks the mage. Spells and Hero Powers do not trigger the Secret.

Ice Block will delay death for at least one turn so in a close game don't be baited into using all of your cards in an attempt to kill the mage as it may allow the mage to make a comeback if you sacrificed too much.

When killing enemy minions, kill the weakest one first in case of Duplicate, and/or the cheapest in case of Effigy.

Secret: When an enemy casts a spell on a minion, summon a 1/3 as the new target. While it's fun to intercept enemy lightning bolts, a spellbender much prefers to intercept opposing Marks of the Wild. It just feels meaner. And blood elves... well, they're a little mean.

Whenever you cast a spell, gain +1 Attack. These wyrms feed on arcane energies, and while they are generally considered a nuisance rather than a real threat, you really shouldn't leave them alone with a bucket of mana.

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